Consumer Goods Technology - July/August 2010

COVER STORY

our organization, including but not
limited to, general management, mar-
keting, operations, and research and
development (R&D).”
A lean core team, lead by Yucknut,
provides strategic direction from the
center of the company. Ultimately,
however, it’s up to business unit lead-
ers to decide and execute specific proj-
ects that impact their businesses.

But these leaders aren’t the only ones held accountable for sustainability at Kraft Foods. All employees are challenged to generate ideas that help grow the company’s business and reduce costs, while protecting the environment and society.

“We’re fostering empowerment at the grass roots level,” says Yucknut. And these efforts clearly signal a culture change as employees are embracing the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability in new ways.

“Once sustainability is part of the business goals and no longer the role of a select few in the center, you’ll see a whole new level of commitment and creativity in ways to drive growth and shareholder value,” says Yucknut.

Many of Kraft Foods’ locations around the world have “Green

SUCCESS STORY #1

Packaging

Green Team at Work: Cadbury employees in Lebanon have helped reforest several
hectares of land affected by summer wildfires, encouraging biodiversity and helping
the landscape regain its green cover.

Teams”, employee-led volunteer groups that work to integrate sustainability into daily operations at local offices or manufacturing facilities. While each team is autonomous, they connect through a dedicated Web site that lets them share ideas. When one employee in Canada set up a bin at his plant for battery recycling, he collected more than one million pounds in the first year. And the idea is now being replicated in other locations.

“Today, our biggest challenge is
keeping up with the demand from
enthusiastic employees and busi-
ness teams,” says Yucknut. “It shows
our employees are feeling empow-
ered to make a difference.”
And what a difference it is. Here,
Yucknut shares the company’s
biggest sustainability success sto-
ries in four key areas, all of which
have been made possible in part by
a “greener” corporate culture.

*Kraft Foods not only achieved but exceeded an ambitious goal to eliminate 150 million pounds of packaging material from its supply by 2011. “At the end of 2009, we took 174 million pounds out,” reports Yucknut.

How did Kraft Foods do this? By leveraging the thought leadership and knowledgeable skills of the global packaging community.

“Taking out 174 million pounds of packaging was no easy task. It was the summation of more than 250 individual projects executed across the globe,” says Yucknut.